Ukraine-Russia war – live: Major wave of heavy bomber strikes on Kyiv ‘start of concerted campaign’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the world would have to ‘ask Ukraine’ on the matter of peace talks between the nations.

He said on Sunday that the West was trying to exhaust Russia in Ukraine and that if peace talks were to take place then Kyiv would have to change its own presidential decree.

“It is up to the Ukrainians to recognise how deep they are in the hole where the Americans put them,” Lavrov said of the war.

When asked what the chances were of diplomacy to bring about a ceasefire or peace, he said: “You’ll have to call Mr Zelensky because a year and half ago he signed a decree prohibiting any negotiations with Putin.”

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has met with several South American leaders as he attempts to win the support of the global south.

Zelensky is currently in Argentina to witness the inauguration of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei.

According to Mr Zelensky’s official website, he split his journey up to include meeting the prime minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, to thank him for his support for Kyiv’s diplomatic initiatives.

While in Argentina, he has also held meetings to discuss trade and bilateral cooperation with the presidents of Paraguay and Ecuador.

Ukraine has transported the first batch of lorries to Poland by rail since a Polish truck driver strike began several weeks ago.

The lorries bypassed the blockage of the land border between the two countries by Polish drivers, Ukrainian state railways Ukrzaliznytsia said on Sunday.

Protests by Polish truckers started last month against the terms of EU access for Ukrainian lorries, which they say has taken work away from them.

The main demand of Polish hauliers is to stop Ukrainian truckers from having permit-free access to the European Union, something that Kyiv and Brussels say is not negotiable.

Ukrainian authorities say about 3,500 lorries are blocked on the Polish side of the Polish-Ukrainian border as of Sunday morning and so far authorities have not been able to reach an agreement with the protesters to stop the action.

Main road corridors have been blocked coming into Ukraine, leading to higher prices for fuel and some food items as well as delays to drone deliveries to the Ukrainian army.

The White House is planning to step up its efforts to push a deal for Ukrainian aid through US Congress, a Democratic senator said on Sunday.

Republican senators blocked the passage of a $110bn (£88bn) US aid bill last week, as they insisted that additional funding for Ukraine must be paired with major US border security changes.

Senators are desperately trying to broker a compromise on the matter, but are having little success with less than a week before US Congress leaves for a Christmas break.

“The White House is going to get more engaged this week,” Senator Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator, said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

Murphy said it was important to know if Democratic President Joe Biden would sign any prospective deal.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia has launched a “concerted campaign” to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.

In their latest defence intelligence update, the MoD said a “major wave” of strikes was launched on Thursday night, targetting central Ukraine and Kyiv.

The MoD statement read: “Russia has almost certainly been stockpiling these missiles for use in the winter campaign.

“This was probably the start of a more concerted campaign by Russia aimed at degrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”

One civilian was killed in the attack, however, initial reports indicate the majority of these missiles were successfully intercepted by Ukrainian air defence.

Some Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the IOC said Friday, in a decision that removed the option of a blanket ban over the invasion of Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee’s decision confirms moves it started one year ago to reintegrate Russia and its military ally Belarus into global sports, and nine months after it urged sports governing bodies to look at ways to let individual athletes compete.

It is up to each Olympic sport’s governing body to assess and enforce neutral status for individual athletes who have not actively supported the war and are not contracted to military or state security agencies.

Calling the political row in America “a matter of life” for Ukrainians, Olena Zelenska said: “We really need the help. In simple words, we cannot get tired of this situation, because if we do, we die.

“And if the world gets tired, they will simply let us die.”

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Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman voiced hope Friday that a coalition of countries formed to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia will be able to come up with a faster mechanism to repatriate them.

Over 19,000 children are still believed to be in Russia or in occupied regions of Ukraine.

Dmytro Lubinets spoke to reporters following the first meeting of the National Coalition of Countries for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which was formed based on a recommendation by Canada, in Kyiv.

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City workers in Kyiv on Saturday dismantled an equestrian statue of a Red Army commander, the latest Soviet monument to be removed in the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year.

The statue of Mykola Shchors on horseback, erected in the 1950s, was taken down from a pedestal in downtown Kyiv to the applause of a small group of onlookers. City officials said it will be stored in the State Aviation Museum.

“Derussification and decommunization are continuing. We have already dismantled more than 60 monuments related to the history and culture of Russia and the Soviet Union,” Mykhailo Budilov, director of the city’s Department of Territorial Control, said in a statement.